Les Siècles Essentials

It’s hard to believe that one of classical music’s most recent and exciting period-instrument orchestras is already 20 years old. Over the past two decades, Les Siècles and their dynamic conductor François-Xavier Roth have recorded dozens of works on historical instruments, recreating sounds that audiences would have experienced at the time. Among the treasures here are the three ballets that Stravinsky composed for Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes dance company. “This was perhaps the very first chapter in Les Siècles’ international recognition,” Roth tells Apple Music Classical. “Rediscovering these famous ballets on period instruments and researching and studying the original scores is a huge memory for us.” For their album of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, Les Siècles use German and Austrian instruments dating from 1900—resulting in a performance of thrilling intensity but also innocent playfulness. The recording was made during the pandemic, adding a further poignancy to the final movement, a child’s vision of heaven. “The music transformed that tragic time into an amazing and intense studio session,” says Roth, “and I’m very proud of it.” For their most recent album, Les Siècles turned to the music of Saint-Saëns—the French composer’s chamber classic Carnival of the Animals, and a handful of his symphonic poems. “We intensively performed Saint-Saëns symphonic poems on tour in 2021 for the centenary of Saint-Saëns’ death,” explains Roth. “Phaéton is very special for us because it was programmed at the inaugural concert of the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, where we started a residency last season. It’s now our Parisian home.”